UIC held its first Graduation Exercise at the Campus Cultural Square on June 6 with five hundred guests, teachers, students and parents attending the ceremony. Of the 240 graduating students, approximately 70% will either continue with their studies in China or abroad, or had been offered positions in the private sector after graduation, with the rest still pondering their next move. President C.F. Ng addressed the students, saying, "You as graduates represent the report card UIC offers to parents and the public on the work we have put in these last four years and it will be up to you to show them whether we have done a good job. Being graduates of UIC and, at the same time, of HKBU I wish you good luck and a prosperous future."
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The Vice Mayor and other dignitaries of Zhuhai were present to see students given souvenirs and certificates by EVP Prof. S.T. Kwok, VP Prof. S.Y. Zee and Prof. Stella Cho, Dean of DBM. Council members of UIC and representatives from the administration of BNU also were present. Mr. Gan Lin, Party Secretary of Zhuhai sent a congratulatory message, saying UIC has made remarkable achievements in teaching and research and has made a special name for itself in higher education in China.
A Big Leap in the Quality of Year 1 Students
President C.F. Ng told the press that even though the new graduates had started off at a disadvantage four years ago because they had not been accepted by the best universities in China, they were able to be given recognition by a top-rate university such as HKBU at this event. Furthermore, many of them will continue their studies or offered employment by prestigious institutions. In other words, UIC is being recognized and accepted as an innovative and successful institution.
Prof. S.T. Kwok offered a striking example. In a recent national competition called SIFE, university teams were asked to give oral presentations on an environmental project conceived and executed by students themselves. Successful teams were invited to defend their project in English in front of a panel composed of business executives from multi-national companies. The UIC team was awarded third prize, beating Tsinghua, Peking University, and University of Hong Kong.
Since 2005 UIC had increased its enrollment of students to 3200, with 15 major programs. Looking back, President Ng said the first year of operation was most challenging. Secondly, using English as the medium of instruction posed serious handicap to many students who must try to overcome it within a year or two. Thirdly, moral or whole-person education needed to be strengthened so that students would adequately equip themselves for the challenges ahead.
Representing the graduating class, Miss Qiao Yuan said the years at UIC were made more memorable because they were the pioneers in the development of the college. These memories would remain a source of strength and inspiration for the entire class.
The graduating students will formally receive their degrees at the Commencement Ceremony at HKBU which was scheduled in November 2009.
President C. F. Ng's address at the ceremony, please click: http://uic.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2753&Itemid=9999uic217
EVP Prof. S.T. Kwok's address at the ceremony, please click: http://uic.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2784&Itemid=9999uic217
VP S.Y. Zee's address at the ceremony, please click:
http://uic.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2768&Itemid=9999uic217
